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Schar School in the News
Schar School’s Terrorism Center Joins International Conservation Union to Combat Wildlife and Conservation Crimes
January 19, 2021
Schar School Adds Intelligence Expert, Author, TV Commentor David Priess to Faculty
January 13, 2021
Schar School Partners with UiPath for Robotic Process Automation Initiative
January 11, 2021
Despite Life’s Daunting Challenges, Schar School Senior Cassidy Whitehurst Thrives at Mason
January 06, 2021

Upcoming Events
Hayden Center Event - The Assault on Intelligence: After Trump (1/26)
January 26, 2021
George Hutchinson Oral Defense of Dissertation Proposal in Public Policy (1/28)
January 28, 2021
Race and Social Justice Colloquia (2/4)
February 04, 2021
Virtual Resume Clinic (2/4)
February 04, 2021
Recent Tweets

#Biden’s inaugural address linked prosperity to civic virtue. @ScharSchool’s @StevePearlstein analyzed the address in an op-ed for the @washingtonpost. “The pluralistic ideal lies at the core of Biden’s summons to national unity.” https://t.co/UXIeUJabx4 pic.twitter.com/kMD6pffwI9

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

Will the same happen to #Trump? @ScharSchool’s @jomaburt discussed #Peru’s ex-head of state being held accountable in court with @newrepublic. Peru showed “its citizens that its system of justice is capable of prosecuting even the most powerful.” https://t.co/WC5VSpUsO3 pic.twitter.com/KYH96ASO9R

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

Under #Biden, America has rejoined the @WHO. @ScharSchool’s @SaskiaPopescu tells @Forbes: “I’m truly happy to see that the Biden-Harris administration has prioritized rejoining the WHO.” It’s a good signal to our global partners. https://t.co/J5uGBnNROW pic.twitter.com/ODyGFuLfyj

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

As #Biden takes office, he’s expected to issue many orders during his first 100 Days. @ScharSchool’s @MarkJRozellGMU writes in @thehill that this will “showcase that their elections resulted in meaningful and nearly immediate change.” https://t.co/hWWvrorMZR pic.twitter.com/WwRd1ZBnNP

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

Is #Biden’s new #Climate team the most powerful yet? It depends. @ScharSchool’s James Pfiffner tells @nytimes that “Certainly, they can be powerful, but only to the extent that their policy area is of primary importance to the president.” https://t.co/WA9tLrY1G4 pic.twitter.com/4DGua1rqZj

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

Need to rent? Prices have dropped since March, when #COVID hit us hard. @ScharSchool’s Terry Clower tells @ARLnowDOTcom that it’s definitely due to the #pandemic. “Most of the jobs that we have lost… are typically disproportionately renters.” https://t.co/tpGg8EgTfL pic.twitter.com/pBhRYKN7Yt

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

Someone go out and please tell @SenSanders that class @ScharSchool and @GeorgeMasonU don't start until Monday!
(HT @deltondaigle) pic.twitter.com/hdBtQBorir

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

#Congratulations to @AndrwLight for his appointment to lead #Biden's Office of International Affairs @ Department of Energy as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs. We look forward to seeing you in the classroom when your term is over. pic.twitter.com/pvJPopfchu

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

As #Biden takes office in a few hours, we can look back at #Trump's "economic nationalism" as described by @ScharSchool's Kenneth Reinert @thehill. "Trump’s economic nationalism was largely empty talk. Where it involved action, it was the wrong kind." https://t.co/yh5gdWW5Ow pic.twitter.com/boOlHSxWw4

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 20, 2021

What are the pros and cons of living in a state’s capital? Ask @ScharSchool’s Katrin Anacker. Indicators include professional opportunities, affordable housing, decent transportation, infrastructure, amenities, and weather. https://t.co/5qEgUJJJ4t pic.twitter.com/OWgkGP0KNC

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 19, 2021
Home » News & Events » Latest News » Drawn to Germs at an Early Age, Biodefense Scholar Studies Where Science Meets Policy

Drawn to Germs at an Early Age, Biodefense Scholar Studies Where Science Meets Policy

By Buzz McClain March 02, 2020

Schar School Biodefense PhD Saskia Popescu at work in a yellow and white enhanced personal protective equipment for viral hemorrhagic fevers.

The global COVID-19 crisis will require scientists and scholars who are educated and trained to take on the world’s most dangerous problems. The Biodefense program at the Schar School creates leaders in the field. Look for their stories on this page in coming days.

When she was 9-years-old, a family member handed Saskia Popescu a book to read during summer vacation. Much of Richard Preston’s 1995 nonfiction thriller “The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story” went over her head, but young Saskia was fascinated by the riveting story of viral hemorrhagic fevers, Level 4 biocontainment areas, and Ebola-infected monkeys escaping into suburban Northern Virginia.

“It was really cool and it got me interested in infectious diseases and how we struggle to manage them,” she said. She was so taken with the idea of controlling diseases, for Halloween she dressed as a pathologist, complete with hazmat suit.

These days the hazmat suit isn’t a costume but a part of her occupation: Popescu is a real-life infection prevention epidemiologist, working to control infections in Phoenix-area hospitals and ensure they’re ready for the next outbreak, like COVID-19.

Popescu recently finished her PhD in the biodefense program of the Schar School, where she was also a graduate research assistant. Her research addresses the roadblocks for hospitals investing in infection prevention efforts in the face of diseases like Ebola and SARS. During her time at the Schar School, she was named a Fellow in the prestigious Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative by the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins University.

Although she is no longer a student, Popescu remains connected to Mason as managing editor of The Pandora Report, an online publication prepared by faculty and students in the Schar School’s Biodefense program that details the world’s bio-related “big problems.”

Popescu graduated with degrees from the University of Arizona three times, first as an undergrad in Classics (“I studied ancient Roman history with a focus on how disease impacted military campaigns—totally left-field, I know”), then with a master’s degree in public health in infectious diseases and epidemiology, and then another master’s in international security.

It was her strong interest in both the medical side of the field and the policy side that drew her to the Schar School’s biodefense program.

“The combination of my master’s degrees, for me, is very much what Greg Koblentz is doing in the biodefense program,” she said. Associate Professor Koblentz is the director of the biodefense graduate program at Mason.

“The program brings it all together to understand the complexities of health security,” she said. “We have experts from both fields coming to the classroom who can speak to all aspects, which is huge.”

Popescu’s experience on the front lines of health security and her expertise in infection prevention and control are key to the success of her research, Koblentz said.

“Her research on how to strengthen infection prevention systems in hospitals is a great blending of theory and practice and has the potential to have a huge impact on the field,” he said. “Infection prevention is too often ignored by medical practitioners and by academics. Saskia is trying to change that and I think she'll succeed.

“The continuing threat of emerging infectious diseases and rise of antimicrobial resistance around the world means we need people like Saskia who can skillfully bridge the gap between science and policy now more than ever.”

The events of the last few months verify that.

As for Richard Preston’s life-changing book, Popescu said, “When you look back on it you can see it’s the most scientifically inaccurate drama ever created. But at the time it was inspiring for a young mind.”

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